Why Not Find Out isn’t just an online platform, it’s also a campaign that tours the UK visiting colleges, universities and other public events such as festivals and carnivals. WNFO promotes greater knowledge and insight into the evolving drug landscape through a series of awareness stalls; last year we... read more →
Feb
01
Jan
30
Authors: Ian Hamilton, Lecturer in mental health and addiction, University of York Harry Sumnall, Professor in Substance Use, Liverpool John Moores University Suzi Gage, Lecturer, University of Liverpool. This article first appeared on The Conversation. For centuries, musicians have used drugs to enhance creativity and listeners have used drugs to heighten... read more →
Jan
29
With counterfeit Xanax readily available on the dark web, a generation of teenagers have found out the hard way that the pills aren't as easygoing as they first thought. Dan lives with his parents in a beautiful four-bedroom house in Surrey, England, the type with polished granite kitchen surfaces, ankle-deep... read more →
Jan
08
Drug dealers are increasingly using social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat to sell illegal substances to young people, some as young as 13. Experts have warned the "disturbing" trend rapidly growing in the last year and a half according to youth workers who expressed concern that young people... read more →
Dec
14
Moderate alcohol intake before the festive season kicks off to improve your health & wellbeing “‘Tis the season to be jolly” is a line from a popular carol song too often taken to heart by some Brits who drink excessively over the festive period. Last year, the sale of beer,wine and spirits... read more →
Nov
22
It all comes down to policing where we get our pleasure, says Max Daly of VICE. There is a question at the heart of the drug debate that often gets forgotten amid all the talk of prohibition vs legalisation.... read more →
Nov
16
The main motivation for people using steroids and other similar drugs in the UK is to enhance their image, a survey has shown. More than 680 people who use image and performance-enhancing drugs took part in the National IPED info survey. It found that although motivations for use of those... read more →
Oct
23
Students are more likely to be spending on exercise classes than nights out, new research suggests iStock/Getty Images By Emma Featherstone Independent News Health-conscious students are cutting back on alcohol and spending almost four times more on fitness than they were a decade ago, new research suggests. Student letting app SPCE, which is... read more →
Oct
18
For over half a century, various activist groups in the UK have launched campaigns to legalise cannabis, but with little success. One of the most effective arguments used by those opposed to reform is the absence of any existing regulated legal markets for selling cannabis. This is no longer the... read more →
Oct
16
Five years ago this week a new website, Why Not Find Out, was launched by the Angelus Foundation. Its target audience was young people, mainly 14 to 18 who may have been exposed to the relatively new phenomenon of ‘legal highs’ now called new psychoactive substances. It was the first... read more →
Oct
15
A study by University College in London has shown signs that the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, psilocybin, can be effective in treating people with depression. Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, head of psychedelic research at Imperial College London, said: "We have shown for the first time clear changes in brain activity... read more →
Oct
11
BBC report that Thai authorities have just introduced a new law banning any smoking on its beaches punishable by up to a year's imprisonment. Full article here.
Sep
25
Police are reportedly investigating the 'nasty and predatory' incidents which have struck new students as they arrive at university By Caroline Mortimer Students at a top university have been warned not to leave their drinks unattended after a spate of “nasty and predatory” drink-spiking. Police are reportedly investigating a string... read more →
Sep
11
'Pot' otherwise known as cannabis, is having negative health effects due to increased potency Smoking cannabis has been part of counter-culture for over 50 years. In the 60s cannabis became a ‘lifestyle choice’ for some ‘hippies’ who rebelled against post-war traditions and opted for a post-modernist worldview that pushed boundaries,... read more →
Sep
07
Pills contain more MDMA than ever at the moment, which is obviously going to have some repercussions. This article is part of "Safe Sesh", a VICE harm reduction campaign produced in collaboration with The Loop and the Royal Society for Public Health. Ecstasy is a lot stronger than it used... read more →
Aug
22
BBC web article published 22 August 2017. What is in cannabis that can make it dangerously powerful? And what about claims of medical benefits? Newsbeat hears from two scientists who study the drug. Remember these letters - THC and CBD Cannabis plants contain a substance called Cannabigerol that forms three... read more →
Aug
22
Newsbeat Gang members can make £26,000 in just two days by selling drugs over apps including Snapchat and Instagram. A new BBC Three programme also highlights dealers as young as 15 claiming they can make £300 a day by using social media. Stacey Dooley Investigates: Kids Selling Drugs Online found a... read more →
Jul
31
What are the effects of Hallucinogens? How could they alter your festival experience? There has been a resurgence in psychedelic drugs recently. Some people are curious to experiment with a variety substances that induce an altered state of consciousness (known as a ‘trip’).For some, these drugs complement heightened sensory environments... read more →
Jul
03
Image copyrightALAMY It's 10 years since smoking was banned in enclosed workplaces in England, following similar moves in the rest of the UK. But how has the "pub smoking ban" changed the country? Do you remember the time when pubs were full of smoke? When you could light up after... read more →
Jul
03
Article by Global Drug Survey team The recent interest in drug checking at facilities in the UK comes on the back of a rise in purity of many drugs including MDMA and cocaine – with associated increases in acute risks of harm associated with these drugs. Drug checking can play... read more →
Jun
30
Man dies after taking 'potent' crystallised Spice, not MDMA Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES A man thought to have been killed by the drug MDMA had taken a "much more potent version" of Spice, Greater Manchester Police has said. Police now believe that the 26-year-old man from Rochdale took a crystallised and... read more →
Jun
26
Seven hospitalised amid Oldham drug warning Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionPolice say the type of MDMA, known as "magic" or "pink champagne", is highly potent Seven people have been hospitalised after taking a "particularly potent" form of the drug MDMA, police said. Four men became seriously ill on Saturday, with two... read more →
Jun
13
By Michael Baggs There's a call for UK festivals to provide drug-testing services, in an attempt to reduce deaths. The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) says stronger ecstasy in the UK is resulting in "serious health harm". They want festival-goers to be able to test their drugs on site... read more →
May
30
Below is an article published by Volteface.me The findings of the 2017 Global Drugs Survey were released this week, which gathered data from 115,000 people around the world. Although, by looking at the demographics (and additionally considering that taking the survey requires having Internet access), we can see that this... read more →
May
04
[View the story "Why Not Find Out about MDMA? " on Storify]
Apr
05
ABOUT THIS BRIEFING: This briefing provides an overview on Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists It is not intended to provide detailed information on each compound or a list of all such compounds. The web version has no images in it; the downloadable PDF includes images,This version published 1.8.16 to reflect legal... read more →
Mar
09
Welcome to the 'Use of Novel Psychoactive Substances/Legal Highs and Ketamine' Survey. This survey aims to evaluate the level of knowledge and awareness of the use of Novel Psychoactive Substances/Legal Highs and Ketamine. The survey is completed anonymously, can be saved part way through and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. All data collected in... read more →
Feb
23
A memorial gig is being held on 2 March, at Nambucca, Upper Islington for Louise Cattell who died exactly six years ago in March 2011. The proceeds for the event will fund work progammes for the drugs and alcohol prevention charity Mentor UK. Louise Cattell was a much-loved figure on the London gig scene until her... read more →
Dec
14
In this episode of Drugs Map of Britain we meet students born in the 90s who call themselves The Children of Ecstasy. Once associated with rave culture, students like Marc are now using ecstasy and MDMA to help them socialise, and open up to their friends. But, with the pills and... read more →
Oct
24
From EDM Sauce PINK “SUPERMAN” PILLS DANGEROUS TO USERS Oct 23, 2016 Drugs are a popular topic when it comes to the dance music scene. There are those who support the drug use, while there are others who oppose it. For those who choose to take these drugs, it is... read more →
Sep
22
Link to Article by Patrick Hinton - Mixmag 22 September Fiona Measham's charity The Loop is spearheading drugs safety Fiona Measham is the Durham University professor at the heart of pushing UK drug policy into the 21st century. She’s the co-director of charity The Loop, an organisation which approaches drugs... read more →
Jul
25
People attending a UK festival have been able to test drugs on site for the "first time ever". Campaigners say the practice known as "front of house testing" will help users know what they are taking. Critics have always argued open testing encourages people to take illegal drugs. But those in... read more →
Jul
13
This episode follows police and paramedics dealing with the effects of legal highs, from a regular user coughing up blood in a bus stop to a grandad who's reacted badly to legal highs he bought online. Click here for a link and to login.
Jul
06
By Max Daily @narcomania Ketamine is that crazy wobbly leg drug. The wacky student drug, the post club chill-out aid, the new gen LSD that gives users the power to become – according to 1970s K-hole explorer and dolphin whisperer John C Lilly – "peeping toms at the keyhole of eternity". But... read more →
May
03
Police in Manchester have issued a warning about pink/red ecstasy pills with dangerous high levels of MDMA. The MasterCard E tablet often contains in excess of 200mg of MDMA where the 'normal' dose is more like 100-120mg. High doses can lead to raised body temperature where people find it hard... read more →
Apr
11
An analysis centre in Wales has identified some ecstasy pills with very high strength that can be very risky to take. Walesonline spoke to a programme leader Josie Smith who said, “Ecstasy tablets, way back when rave culture was happening in the late ‘80s, were 70 to 80 milligrams per... read more →
Apr
06
A 70 year old man, Nigel Mentzel, from Cardiff has died after taking up smoking 'spice' or synthetic cannabis. His partner Julie Garner told the inquest into his death: "He would get very defensive and angry and we would argue because I disagreed with his use of the highs. Cardiff... read more →
Mar
31
The new law which would outlaw the sale of legal highs has been delayed for a few weeks. The Home Office has had to put the legislation back because it has not established exactly how new substances will be tested for 'psychoactivity'.
Mar
10
Northumbria Police filmed the effects of synthetic cannabis on people in Newcastle City Centre.
Mar
08
Three boys from Salisbury, all 15, were critical in hospital yesterday after taking spice on the way home from school. They smoked the product in a local park before becoming overcome by the effects of the legal high.
Jan
20
Conservative MP, Crispin Blunt, admitting being a user of poppers during debate on Psychoactive Substances Bill. He said: "There is sometimes a moment ... when something is proposed which becomes personal to you and you realise the Government is about to do something fantastically stupid and I think in those... read more →
Jan
12
VICE travelled to Manchester to meet some more vulnerable users who have become addicted to these over-the-counter substances and discovered that solving the problem won't be as simple as making legal highs illegal.
Jan
22
Drug advice centre Release have created an easy to follow guide on the differences between ecstasy (MDMA) and the PMA which caused several overdoses over Christmas and New Year Read Story
Jan
19
People in Lincoln could soon be banned from taking legal highs anywhere in the city after a big increase in numbers of police incidents and anti-social behaviour. Read Story
Jan
02
Four deaths over Christmas period may be linked to ‘Superman’ shaped ecstasy-type drugs, possibly PMMA. Police are appealing to people to hand in any of these pills. Read Story
Dec
12
The only British charity dedicated to raising awareness of 'legal highs', the Angelus Foundation, today launches its latest film 'Lab Rats' for the Christmas party season. http://www.angelusfoundation.com/media/videos/angelus-pfc-film/ The film portrays a London headshop, which sells 'legal highs' on the high street. The film actors are stand-up comedian, Jeff Leach, and... read more →
Apr
15
Reflections on the results of the world’s biggest ever drug survey by Dr Adam Winstock READ STORY